In a culture dominated by busyness, the Christian practice of Sabbath cultivates an important and counter-cultural rhythm orienting our whole lives around the presence and kingdom of God. A Sabbath rhythm is woven into the fabric of creation and creates space for connecting with God, ourselves, and one another. When we intentionally rest from work, productivity, and striving, we open ourselves to God’s profound and personal love. What if a regular rhythm of resting from all the ways we try to earn love is the best way to learn and know deep in our souls that God loves us?
This week, we reflected on our experiences of Sabbath and spent time in conversation in order to learn from one another. There were strong themes of freedom and the need for guardrails in our groups. Sabbath gets us in touch with our longing for freedom. (One group used the phrase ‘a Sabbath from worry.’), and the consistent practice of Sabbath cultivates the freedom we desire. We also recognize the need for guardrails, not strict rules that foster legalism but a clear intention that gives a Sabbath mindset room to grow and flourish both during Sabbath and during the week.
Kingdom Practices
Our consistent kingdom practice for this month is to practice an intentional, weekly Sabbath, and the specific invitation for this week is to continue paying attention to our expereince. What are we learning about ourselves and God in the good and the hard of Sabbath? And how might God be inviting us to adjust our practice?
You can find the Order of Practice here.
Our service this week did not lend itself to the format of a podcast, so this week we did not publish one.
Additional Resources
Keeping the Sabbath Wholly by Marva Dawn
The Sabbath by Rabbi Abraham Heschel
Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity by Keri Wyatt Kent
Breathe by Keri Wyatt Kent
Three Mile and Hour God by Kosuke Koyama
Sabbath by Dan Allender
Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest by Ruth Haley Barton
A Sabbath Guide from Practicing the Way
If you have a story to share about how you have been encountering God in this season, we would love to hear it!
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